One More Day

• More paperwork (please, oh please, be done)
• Birthday party for sweet little M
• Face time with our dear friends
• Pancakes for dinner (trying to use up the last bit of food)
• Unbelievably excited children
• Weepy adults
• Time to get outta here for a little while...
  

Welcome Keith and Andrea

JM's and C's parents came to visit.

If you love our kids, you've loved us...

Pop and Nana being silly with G.

Harold and the Purple Crayon, a favorite.

Loving on our Third Culture Kids. Thank you.

Save the Date!

We wanted to let you all know that on June 16th, my parents and friends are hosting a little meet and greet time for our family. If you all are in our area on the 16th and have time from 5:00-7:00 p.m. (or as long as people stay!) then consider yourself invited! We'll be at Pepper's Mexican Cantina and Restaurant in Bowling Green and we have the dining room reserved. We have limited time to see those we love, and this is a way to maximize our time and visit a lot of people at once. So again, if you can make it, we'd love to see you.

Oh, and if you're on Facebook and a friend of my parents, you'll see a place on their pages to RSVP. We hope to see you there!

What Doesn't Kill You, Leaves You...Not Dead

I shopped today, which I do not like to do in the very best of circumstances. Still less when I have to observe subtly practiced rules of commerce in a foreign country. One of the most famous trade laws adhered to by rest of the world is that prices aren't fixed and it's almost rude not to bargain.

Did I mention that I hate to bargain? In another language? No?

But today it was ok because D and her sister went with me to the Tibetan market to help. The three of us poured over kurtas and earrings. Some real bargains and an abundance of absolute traef. D kept picking at the stitching of brightly-colored kurtas, imagining loose threads, stains, beads about to fall off. She frowned over non-existent holes in the armpits. I tried to look skeptical with her, knitted my brows together, and shammed in Hindi about the poor quality of the merchandise. But it was very hard and I felt like a jerk.

When one shop lady asked me where I was from and I answered that I'm from America, D looked at me disapprovingly. "Don't say that!" she hissed. "I already told her Australia. Always say Australia." But see, I was already on sensory overload in the narrow, jam-packed streets of the outdoor market, so I wasn't as...smooth...as I normally am. Which means I laughed in front of the lady and then had the misfortune of being blocked-in by Indians so as to be unable to do anything but marinate in the awkward stew I had created.

Um, but we got some good deals. And by the end of our trip I had gotten much better at the would-you-look-at-what-they're-trying-to-charge-me-for-this-nonsense look. Even though they were only trying to charge me 75 cents...

It's Time

It's time for us to get back to the States and go to Holiday World. Or something...anything...

Exhaling

J is home again. I estimate that in the last three months, he's spent about thirty days outside our home and we have felt every minute of it. Now he's with us and we've all sighed with relief. We will be leaving for the airport in T-minus 7 days. We have packing, cleaning, and organizing to do. E-mails have to be sent, and rent needs to be paid. But there's drudgery and then there's happy work. This is happy work because it means we are going home for a visit. I'm giddy just thinking of packing.

It's Official

1. We are going back to the States in June.
2. We are incredibly excited.
3. We are amazed at this answer to prayer.

Thank you for hanging with us in good times and bad. We hope to see you there!

Can You Tell We've Been Living In India?

G imagines an ideal princess...

Clash of the Cultures

I love India on some days, like it on others, feel neutral still other days. And then, sometimes I hate it. Well, that was two days ago. It was a baaad India day. Then I sort-of got over it and was neutral again.

But then today...See, now, this is the kind of thing that makes me insane. Last night my landlady came up to our apartment and chatted with me. I hadn't been down that day to 'study Hindi,' which is more about conversation and putting in face time than it is about conjugating verbs. Anyway, she stared reproachfully into my eyes and asked me why I hadn't visited. I felt defensive. I muttered something about how long it takes to homeschool my kids and then feed them. And then there's the fact that my husband is out of town.

I don't feel like I should have to give these excuses. I see her often enough and she knows that I care about her. I wanted to say, "Look, in America people give each other a little breathing room, you know? Like, it's ok if we don't sit and talk for two hours every day..." But in the end I found myself promising to come down the next day to study.

So I did. Today, even though I saw that there were a lot of people milling around in her courtyard, I went downstairs, book in hand, to meet Dolly. I pasted on a cheerful smile and determined to have a good time, even though J is gone, the kids were upstairs watching a movie, and I have a guest in my home at the moment. I figured that if I didn't keep my word, it would mean more unacceptable explanations later.

Do you know what I found? I found a house where the women were bustling around, busy with work, and no time to study Hindi. I wanted to say, "See? Sometimes days are like this and I'm not going to hold it against you that you don't have time. Why don't you do the same for me and assume I have a good reason when I don't come downstairs? Kay? Kay?" Instead I said, "I can see you're busy. I'll come back another time." And Dolly's reply? "Yes, we're quite busy. Maybe on Monday would be good." Absolutely no I'm-sorry-I-guilted-you-yesterday-and-then-had-no-time-for-you-today.

Those are just the rules, people. Different place, different codes. And today I just felt like a (peeved) fish out of water.

Helping Hands

The boys love doing this.

Can you see the little surprise we found in this pod? He kind-of blends in...

Today is our...Wait. What is it??

J and I woke up to a breakfast cake on the table and this sign. D and her sister made the cake. The kids wrote messages at the bottom of the white board. But, I must tell you that D wrote 'Happy Annervasary' all by herself. Call her sweet and helpful. But don't call her a scholar. Ahem.

Thirty-three

Today was J's 33rd birthday. Words cannot express how much he means to me and the kids. He holds this family together and has saved the day more times than I care to remember. You know how in some families the mom is the backbone of the family? How no matter what she can make everything ok in the end? Well in this family that mom is J. He is my personal hero. I love you, babe, and am so glad you were born, grew up, and married me ten years ago tomorrow.

Ok, just one more thing...'Member how D got me a cute travel mug for my birthday and how, at the top of the box, there was the inspirational saying: "Keep progressing and surpassing farever" ?? Well, today she got J a matching one in blue. Pretty and handy. But this time at the top of the box was this message: "Keep progressing and surp assing farever." I am not lying. I'm not sure what, exactly, the box is telling us to do, but I assume it isn't good...

Happy Birthday, J.

Downtime

Today

Good family praise and worship this morning + streamlined and successful math lessons + good conversations in Hindi with the landlords and landladies + a big, fat birthday package from Mimi and Papa + awesome weather = a really good day. I give it an 'A.'

I Love Her!

Happy 6th Birthday, sweet baby G. You are a gift.

Hangin' Out

Performer

We were positively exhausted today. I didn't fall asleep until 3:00 a.m. this morning, probably because we've had so much emotional craziness in our home lately and because J is gone again. So when Dolly came by today to speak Hindi with me (after several days of no contact and no real Hindi speaking on my part) I was inwardly reluctant.

I am woefully performance-oriented. What can I say? I'm a born and bred classical musician. It's in my nature--and I believe--in my very genes. So speaking Hindi for me is not only about communication. It's about how well I speak, what invisible grade I receive. Or give myself, more like...

Today, when I spoke with Dolly, my Hindi stank. I was tongue-tied, choppy, laborious, goofy, frustrated. I got a D. But what struck me after it was over was that I had 'sown seeds' with her without thinking about it. I had shared my faith, bits of it anyway. She had encouraged me and I had been vulnerable with her. It was good. So why did I feel so inadequate? Like I had somehow failed?

Because I'm focused on myself and on my performance. That is not what God focuses on, nor should I. His strength is made perfect in weakness, I was reminded today. And I should rejoice in that rather lamenting my frailty and lack of ability. It's His story after all.

I should say that I am not there yet. I was discomfited, restless, and crabby after my talk with Dolly. And vaguely gloomy. I couldn't put my finger exactly on why, but I knew it had to do with my Hindi skills. So I just asked the Lord to help me let it go, this striving for perfection, this constant self-censure.

And today, for a little while, He did. I got over it and was ok. Here's to learning my lesson again tomorrow.

Dreaming in Hindi

I dreamed in Hindi last night for the first time. Which is really strange because I was a German major in college, and when I went to Vienna, Austria to study language and music for a semester I began dreaming in German early on...

I've been living in India and hearing Hindi for 13 months. I speak better Hindi than I ever thought about speaking in German, and just now I'm thinking Hindi in my sleep? My subconscious must have a rebellious spirit. Sheesh...

A Quiet Heart

We, along with many others, have had visa troubles lately. We've prayed fervently that they'd be solved quickly. At different times it looked as if they were, and then weren't, and then were. We had hoped that the visa resolution would include some much-needed R&R in the States with our beloved families this summer. And we prayed for that. It looked as if our prayers were being answered.

And then, just like that, the door closed. We aren't going home in June. And we had to break it to our kids this morning. We came to India when our kids were old enough to know what they were leaving behind. Old enough to remember the minutiae of their former lives, and to feel the imprint of their closest loved ones on their hearts. So when we told them we would have to wait indefinitely to see everyone again, they were crestfallen.

And so were we. But in the end, a sense of peace washed over each of us. We are where we need to be and He will be faithful to provide what we need--and what our families back home need. And we recall, in the midst of stinging disappointment that

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

2nd Peter 3:9, ESV

So we try to look beyond ourselves and see this time in this country in it's larger context. There will be time to go home, but that time is not now. We are, as Elisabeth Eliot writes, trying to 'keep a quiet heart.'

Kamla

Our sweet friend and Hindi language helper, Kamlaji, is sick. She's in a lot of pain. It hurts me to think of her hurting as she is so gentle and kind. Please lift her up.

Please Pr*y

Here We Go Again!

If she looks like she'd been crying, it's because she had. She wanted me to pull her tooth and then tried to cry foul when it was 2/3rds out. I had to ignore her and keep going. Thus the tears. This tooth came out in the nick of time. See the almost full-grown tooth behind the gap??

He Did It

All by himself!

Our Happy Storm

Today our city was overtaken by thunderstorms. Hail, freezing rain, pink lightening streaks and rolling thunder colored our morning. We all went out on the front porch to watch the spectacle and couldn't believe the good fortune of having such cool weather (quite literally).

Because the skies were gunmetal gray and we had a good bit of the day left to live, the kids begged me if we could:

• pop the microwave popcorn our friend Aileen sent us
• play Christmas music (for general cheer)
• and turn on our fireplace DVD, complete with popping logs.

I said 'yes' to all three, and we have enjoyed a most unusual and cozy day. To make matters even better, our water stayed on all day today (unlike the last two days) and our power has not succumbed to the storms, which is nothing short of a minor miracle. And then there's the fact that daddy comes back home tonight after being gone for the previous three days.

Sigh. Thank you, Lord.

Loose Tooth

He won't let me touch it. Grrrr....

Red

Moses needed a miracle and God parted the Red Sea. We need a visa miracle--and we need a parting of the Red Tape. Please join us in praying for a quick resolution...Thanks!

Um...

So my question is: what's the world's best unmoulded chocolate chip cookie?

The Way Our Kids Sometimes Watch TV

They aren't 'conventional,' these kids. They recently told me (deadly serious, each one) that they have X-ray vision. We have superhero offspring. What can I say?